27 October 2008
1509
The Adirondack chair below the maple, Willamette University, Salem, OR
Finally the leaves have started to change colors and it is beautiful. The tree I am sitting underneath has the most beautiful autumn colors I have ever seen. The leaves make the tree look as though it is burning, though the bright lime green leaves give the tree a bright twist of color. Besides the lime green, other leaves have a bright orange pigmentation the blends smoothly into yellow as it nears the stem. As you look higher up the leaves fad from the bright yellows and greens to more traditional autumn colors like deep rich reds, these are the leaves that are making the tree look as though it is burning. The colors are so vibrant amidst the other trees. The other vegetation surrounding this tree is still green, fighting against the autumn chill. Other trees have started to change as well though the vegetation surrounding this tree has only faded lightly from green to brown, nothing too exciting. The leaves frost the ground with color and they leave imprints on the sidewalk once the rain has pressed them down. Every now and then a leaf or two will fall into the mill stream and be sent on its way, being tugged on by the current towards the center of campus.

28 October 2008
1725
The Mill Stream Bridge, Willamette University, Salem, OR
Today we made leaf boats! For a couple hours my friends Laurel, Devon and I were doing our homework in the library, but the weather looked so enticing outside that we had to leave. We went to the bistro, grabbed some coffee and then headed out to the quad to sit in the last bit of sunshine before the sun set. As we were sitting there leaves kept falling off of the trees, great big leathery leaves, squashy green leaves, and crunchy, curled up brown leaves. We sat for a while admiring the beautiful weather, just laughing and talking. After a little bit another one of our friends came up and sat down next to us. She asked if we had ever made leaf boats when we were young. Of course we had! I remember making little leaf boats and sending them down the gutter, only to see them fall through the grate of a sewer never to be seen again. Today we made leaf boats; I made the most superb boat I have ever made. I fashioned together 2 curled up leaves with a stick in the middle making a perfect little pontoon boat. We all quickly ran over to the mill stream and dropped our boats into the water on the library side of the mill stream. We watched them float and curve with the current, every now and then one would get stuck in a cluster of leaves only to be pushed out by a helping hand. It sounds so simple, but sometimes that is the best type of fun. I would readily make leaf boats again any day.

29 October 2008
10:00
Behind Eton, Willamette University, Salem, OR
Tonight my friend and I decided to go long boarding around campus a couple times. On our second trip around campus I looked down to see several mushrooms growing in a little cluster. The stalks were so tiny it was surprising to see that they could support the caps that lay above them. The light above these mushrooms hit them at such an angle that each of their shadows magnified their minute frame to a couple times their actual size. The stalks of these mushrooms were a light brownish grey, and the cap that lay above was a dark grey. We kept long boarding for a while and circumnavigated the campus several more times. The weather was perfect, just cool enough to get a nice soft breeze as we long boarded around. After and hour or so we headed back to Matthews for the night.
28 October 2008
9:00
Matthews Dorm, Willamette University, Salem, OR
Today when I was out with Rose and several other people looking for Halloween Costumes, we happened to be right next to a pet store. We went in intending to just look at the cats and other animals (aka Rose and I are hoping to get a hamster some day ). We looked around for a while and then I decided to get a fish. I bought a delta tail beta and named him Dumont, after Simon Dumont an amazing skier. We got back to the dorms and I decided to write an observation about him. His scales are a bright, glimmering electric blue and his fins fade suddenly from this bright blue to a rich red. Every now and then he waves his fins back and forth in a menacing type of way, perhaps this is just a defensive tactic to a new environment? From time to time he swims lazily back and forth next to the glass barrier that separates him from the rest of the world. After seeing my fish, my friend Amelia decided to get a fish as well. So the next day we went back to Petco to find a fish for her. She is especially intrigued in bike racing and wanted to find a fish with white fins aka a “Euro” fish. She successfully found a fish and brought him back with her. For a while the fish was fine, but then he started exhibiting odd behaviors like lying on the bottom and floating on top. Later that night we came back to find him dead. It was a very unfortunate night for her.
31 October 2008
5:00
On the Way to Goudy, Willamette University, Salem, OR
On our way to dinner today someone mentioned how they never get to see the leaves fall off or trees because they’re from California. I can’t even imagine not having four seasons to experience. It seems as though it would be such a bland life. I began to notice the leaves more and more as we neared Goudy, for; maybe I just take this season for granted. The leaves ranged from dark brown, to tan, from bright yellow to orange. Seeing these beautiful leaves just makes me want to rake them all up and jump into the brightly colored pile and watch the leaves fly into the air and then, once again, back down to the ground.